Truss or rupture belt or other surgical



j. STO-Vf. muss 0R RUPTURE BELT 0R UTHER SURGICAL APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23 19|5. Lg

Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

Wig

UNITE JAMES STOTT, OF CONWAY, WALES.

TRUSS OR RUPTURE-BELT OR STEER SURGICAL APPLIANCE.

Application filed March 23, 1915.

To all whom z5 may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES SToT'r, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Conway, North lhales, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trusses or Rupture-Belts or other Surgical Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is an improved method of preparing and constructing rupture belts or like appliances and whereby I am enabled to ascertain the true position a pad is to occupy and to construct a pad of a shape to give a perfect fit with touch at all points in conformity with the shape or contour of the ruptured part, and to properly position such a pad on the belt forming part of the improved truss or device while the whole is n situ on the person so that the required support can be given at all points of the rupture thus obtaining perfect ease and fit with a minimum of inconvenience in wear, and with every chance by its continued use of the rupture being cured.

My invention will be clearly understood from the following description aided by the annexed drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan of a skeleton base, and showing same attached to the end of a spring steel or other belt usually employed in such class of appliances. Fig. 2 is a plan of a plate which is mounted on the base shown in Fig. l, and also carries the pad as hereinafter described. Fig. 8 is a section of the base, plate, and pad as assembled when complete and attached to the end of the belt. Fig. 4 is a similar View to Fig. 3, but showing the plate and pad supported by a spring secured to the belt. Fig. 5 is a plan,and Fig. 6 a section of a modiiied construction of a combined plate and pad. Fig. 7 is a perspective elevation of one form of complete truss on a smaller scale.

In describing my invention I will also deine my method of procedure in constructing the complete article.

For the purpose of'my invention I construct and employ a skeleton base a as shown in Fig. l, such base a being of any desired shape and size preferably of thin rigid metal, and provided with means for attachment to and positioning in any desired manner on the spring metal belt b which is of the usual constructionand is positioned on the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. S, 19ML Serial No. 16,473.

body of the wearer in the well known manner.

In the drawings I have shown these means as consisting of an extension c having' a slot (Z engaging a pin e' on the belt b, and of a curved slot f engaging a loose bolt g also riding in a slot z, of the belt o so that such base a can be moved in either direction and after being positioned can be held tight by the nut z', and the nut y' on the bolt g.

Now one of the features of the invention being to prepare a pad of a shape to suit the shape and position of the part of the body (after being placed in proper position) to be supported and protected I fill a iieXiblc bag with a molding composition in a plastic state, and press same against the desired part of the body byv a plate to obtain the imprint and when such composition is set it may be employed as thepad itself or be used as a pattern from which a pad can be cast in india rubber or other material in the usual manner, and to obtain a proper and perfect position of the pad with regard to the rup ture it is necessary that this skeleton base t be properly positioned with regard to the belt Z2, and to enable this to be done I first position the belt and the skeleton base i on the wearer, the belt to occupy its proper position as in wear, and I adjust the base'a with regard the rupture so that the rupture will be approximately in the center of the opening of the skeleton base a and after properly positioning such skeleton base a. I screw the nuts 2', j tight and fix the base a in the adjusted position. If desired the rupture on the body after having been placed in position may be indicated by color in any desired manner to render it fully distinguishable through the opening in the base a.

Once having adjusted the position of the skeleton base a and while the belt I) and base a are still on the wearer I place a pad (not shown) under the end of the belt b at near the pin e to lift or position the base a awa-y from the body.

I then take a plate 7c, Fig. 2, which is shaped to the contour of the base a and is of the same size, and place said plate in position on the base a between the base and the body of the wearer, the plate 7: easily finding its proper position by being provided with pins Z which enter holes m in the base a to become positioned therein and attached thereto (or other means of keeping the plate in register with the base may be adopted) such plate 70 being also provided with screw threaded or other holes fn, for receiving screws ,n (see Fig. 3) for the purpose hereinafter explained. After this plate lo is positioned on the base a I place between the plate 7c and the body a. bag g, (see Fig. 3) such bag being shaped to the contour of a pad and contains the molding composition r capable of quickly setting and retaining the form given to it, and I secure this bag (1 to the plate 7: by the screws y) as will be understood from Fig. 3, which screws y) form holes in the pad which with the holes in the plate L form a. register for the plate and pad. I then remove the pad from the end of the belt b when the spring of the belt will fully press the base, plate and bag against the body of the wearer, the face of the bag taking the shape given it by the ruptured part, and when suoli. composition is set the whole appliance is remo-ved from the wearer to be afterward completed and formed into a proper truss. This can be effected by simply covering the face of the pad with a soft leather or fabric, and the other parts of the belt with leather or fabric as is usual or I may remove the pad, and treating it as a pattern, make a mold and reproduce the pattern in indiarubber or other material in any way known in the arts, the pad being attached to the same or another plate 7s to be nxed to the base a.

In some cases after having positioned the belt and base with regard to the rupture I may desire that instead of attixing the plate k to the base a that such plate c'and pad be controlled by an additional spring as well as the spring of the belt and in this case (see Fig. lit) I extend the belt Z) as at s, and on this extension s I position a plate t provided with slots as in the extension c and a grip piece which rmly holds the spring u, which spring u can be readily attached to the plate and after positioning and clamping the base a as previously described and adjusting the plate t to suit with the spring u approximately in line with the rupture I clamp the plate t to the extension in the same manner as I clamp the extension c, and I position the plate 7c on the spring and proceed with the bag of molding composition as before. I may then remove the base a to save weight of metal.

Instead of employing a bag for the molding composition separate from the plate 7s I may attach a sheet of fabric or other material o to the plate as in Figs. 5 and 6, so that the plate forms one wall of the bag, and in this case I provide the plate 7c with a` screw threaded tube w to which a pump can be attached, which pump can be caused to eject the molding composition into the bag while the appliance is on the person and thus form the pad when set.

As before stated the pad and the whole Y appliance can be inclosed in a suitable material as is usual.

I have only referred to a belt constructed for a single rupture but it is understood that my invention is equally ysuitable with belts having two pads for double ruptures as also for trusses having non-spring belts.

I claim as my invention l. A truss or rupture belt or analogous surgical device, comprising a belt, an adw j'ustable skeleton base attached thereto and a pad carried by said skeleton base and composed of normally plastic material which is applied to and secured over the aected part of the body to produce in the pad an accurate impression of the said part while the device is n situ on the body.

2. A truss or rupture belt or analogous A surgical device, comprising a belt, an ad JAMES STOTT.

Witnesses:

ERNALD SrMrsoN MosELEY, MALCOLM SMETHURST.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

